This invention relates generally to centralized generation of reports which compile and/or summarize operational data from remotely located user-operated electronic devices, for example, imaging devices used for medical diagnosis.
Diagnostic imaging systems are ubiquitous in modern health care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.
Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, etc. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, physiological systems, etc. Health care institutions often arrange several such imaging systems at a single facility or at multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon such resources as required by particular patient needs.
Modern medical diagnostic imaging systems typically include circuitry for acquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable form, which is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features of interest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processing circuitry is referred to as a xe2x80x9cscannerxe2x80x9d regardless of the modality if physical or electronic scanning occurs as part of the imaging process. The particular components of the system and related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities due to their different physics and data processing requirements. The terms xe2x80x9cscannerxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cmedical imaging devicexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdiagnostic imaging devicexe2x80x9d will be used interchangeably herein.
Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are often called upon to produce reliable and understandable images within demanding schedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensure proper operation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trained personnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate the systems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates. Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years by service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribing institutions directly without the need for intervention on the part of the institution personnel. Such centralized servicing is intended to maintain the diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitating the attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quite transparent to the institution.
In certain centralized servicing systems, a computerized service center will contact a scanner via a network to check system configurations and operational states, to collect data for report generation, and to perform other useful service functions. Such contacts can be made periodically, such as during system xe2x80x9csweepsxe2x80x9d, in which a variety of system performance data is collected and stored with historical data for the particular scanner. The data can then be used to evaluate system performance, propose or schedule visits by service personnel, and the like.
While such service techniques have proven extremely valuable in maintaining diagnostic systems, further improvements are still needed. Although the transparency of interactions between scanners and service centers avoids distracting medical personnel with service updates unnecessarily, some degree of interaction between service centers and institutions is highly desirable. In particular, an interactive service system facilitates valuable exchanges of information, including reports of system performance, feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of system licenses, software, imaging protocols, etc. Currently available service systems permit such interactive exchanges. In particular, a platform has been developed that serves as a base for the interactive servicing needs of different modalities. This platform allows a central service center to exchange information on possible service problems with remotely located scanners, and to retrieve information or data log files from scanners for the purpose of servicing those scanners. One known platform provides a uniform interface permitting clinicians and radiologists to operate a variety of scanners in different modalities, and to report service issues for the scanners, via a uniform, intuitive format.
The known integrated user-interactive platform for servicing diagnostic equipment at remote locations may be configured in software, hardware, or firmware at the scanner or may be installed in a central operator""s station linking several scanners in a medical facility. The user interface permits service requests to be generated prior to, during or subsequent to examinations executed on the diagnostic equipment. The user interface also permits service messaging, report generation and retrieval, etc. The user interface is preferably configured as a network browser, which also facilitates linking the scanner or the central facility control station to a network such as an intranet or internet. The same user interface may be integrated into scanners of different modalities, thereby further facilitating service requests and the like by operations personnel, without requiring the personnel to become reacquainted with diverse interfaces in a facility.
In particular, the existing user-interactive platform provides the system user with the capability to request scanner utilization reports from a central service center based on the operational history of scanners at a remote facility. In order to provide such utilization reports, it is necessary to regularly collect operational data from these scanners. In accordance with an existing system, a scanner can be programmed to collect its own operational data in computer memory and then proactively transmit that data to a central facility in accordance with a preprogrammed schedule input to the scanner by the central facility only scanners covered by a service contract which provides for data logging and report generation will transmit logged operational data to the central facility. After the central facility has collected and processed the log files of operational data from all scanners covered by contracts, scanner utilization reports can be generated. In particular, a hospital administrator can at any time request, via a wide-area network or the Internet, a utilization report compiling and/or summarizing collected operational data for medical imaging devices (i.e., scanners) under contract at that hospital.
In accordance with the foregoing pre-existing system, a data logging program is stored in each scanner, but is not activated until that scanner is covered by an appropriate service contract. Similarly, when a service contract covering a particular scanner expires, the data logging feature incorporated in that scanner needs to be deactivated. There are several disparate computational systems involved in the collection of operational data from scanners, i.e., the contract system, the connectivity system and the scanners themselves. It is currently a manual process to tie these systems together. In particular, a manual process is currently used to turn on or off the data logging feature on a scanner. In the case of new service contracts, sometimes utilization reporting service is not provided on time due to delays in manually activating scanners. In the case of expired service contracts, utilization reporting service is often provided for free for many months beyond the service contract termination date due to delays in manually deactivating scanners.
Thus there is a need for an operational model which can automatically activate the data logging functionality in a scanner when a new service contract is started, and which can also deactivate the data logging functionality once the service contract has expired. This operational model should also automatically activate and deactivate the associated report delivery process.
The invention is directed to a method and a system for automatically activating and deactivating an operational data logging functionality on a remotely located medical imaging device from a central service facility. In particular, the preferred embodiment is directed to a method comprising the steps of: automatically processing contract data at a central facility to detect that a medical imaging device is now under contract to receive regular scanner utilization reports; automatically and remotely turning on the scanner data logging feature from the central facility; and monitoring scanner data log files received at the central facility to ensure that the first data log file has been successfully transmitted from the activated medical imaging device, for processing and subsequent utilization report delivery. In the case of an expired service contract, the data logging feature on the medical imaging device is automatically deactivated from the central facility.
In accordance with a further aspect of the preferred embodiment, the associated report delivery function is also automatically activated and deactivated concurrently with activation and deactivation of the data logging function on scanners covered by the new or expiring service contract. The reports are delivered over a wide-area network, e.g. the Internet, in response to requests for access from customers. A report server for providing web-based utilization reports may be located far away from the central service facility where data log files are received.
In addition, in accordance with the preferred embodiment, corrective action is taken by the central facility in the event that automatic activation or automatic deactivation of the scanner data logging function fails. The central service facility further incorporates an Administration Tool for generating reports tracking the data logging service status of all scanners under contract.
Every time a customer enters into a service contract to receive scanner utilization reports based on logged data from scanners, customer information and contract specifications are entered into a service contract database, as with any other service feature provided by the central service facility. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, this customer profiling and service contract information is automatically and periodically extracted from a central service contract database as a so-called Extraction Output File. The records in the Extraction Output File are compared by an operation server with records in a so-called Contract Table, maintained in a local database by the same operation server. Any differences are entered in the local database, i.e., new and changed records detected in the Extraction Output File are added to the Contract Table, while records found in the Contract Table but not found in the Extraction Output File are removed from the Contract Table. These differences indicate new contracts, expired contracts, changes in the terms of a contract, etc. New medical imaging devices that were not previously in the local database are tracked for contract start date. Existing medical imaging devices that are in the local database, but do not appear in the Extraction Output File, are tagged for turning off of the data logging functionality.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a list of actions are automatically sent from the operation server to an automated support center server for activating and deactivating scanners. In particular, the automated support center server sends a command to turn on (or off) the data logging functionality of a specific medical imaging device and schedule proactive transmission of the operational data back to the automated support center server via a proactive diagnostics process. If the activation attempt by the automated support center server fails, a system administrator is automatically notified so that manual intervention may occur. If the first scanner data log file is not received within a predetermined number of days (e.g., 2 days) of the assigned expected reception date, again the system administrator is automatically notified to intervene to ensure that the data logging feature is turned on and that connectivity between the remote scanner and the automated support center server has not been lost. Conversely, when a scanner is turned off, the system administrator is automatically notified if scanner operational data continues to arrive at the automated support center server after the assigned termination date.